Improvement in mining-machines



s Smetssheen 2.

P. M'. L-EGHNER.

Mining-Machine.

Patented Dec. 4, |877.

`NJETRS, PNOTD-LITNOGHAPHER WASMINGTQN. D C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

F. M. LECHNER. Mining-Machine. No. 197,734. Patented Dec. 4, 1.877.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

FEANois M. LEGENEE, or WAYNESBUEG, onro.

IMPROVEMENT IN MINING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,734,1iated December 4, 1877; application filed september- 717, 1877.

`To all whom it may concern Y Beit known that I, FRANCIS M. LEcHNER, of Waynesburg, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mining-Machines; and I do hereby declare that'the following is afull, clear, and'exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, -and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure lis a plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, one-engine and a portion of the frame having been removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical section ofthe sills, sliding carriers, and boxes or hangers. which support and adjust the cutter driving-shaft, taken on line w y, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same parts. Fig. 6 shows the rotating feeding-nut and its carrier. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of the nut. Fig. 8 is a detached view of one part of the nut-carrier. Fig. 9 is a detached view of a device for withdrawing the cutter-bar from the coal. Fig. l0 is a vertical section of devices employed for supporting the rear ends of the scrape-chains. v

In the drawings, A Aare the sills, and A A. the cross-girts of the main supportingframe. l B B are the sliding carriers of the cutterframe,` supported in the sills by a tongue and groove7 or equivalent construction. C C1 are shoes attached -to and projecting forward from the carriers. C2 is the cutter-head, by

preference square in cross section, except where it is rounded to lit the bearings in the shoes. C3 C:i are sprocket-wheels keyed to the cutter-head. c ol c2 are the cutter-teeth, similar in theirpOnstruction and arrangement to those shown in my Patent No. 186,854, except that teeth c2 are attached to the sprocket-wheel at such distances apart that they will pass between the plates of which the alternate links of the ydriving-chain is made.v D represents the cylinder, D the valve-chest, d the crank, d* the pitman, and d2 the piston-rod, of an engine to be driven by compressed air, which may be supplied through pipes d3 from any desired compressor in the usual manner.

It will not be necessary to describe in def tail the engine, nor the frame which supports it uponl the carriers B B.

F isa spur-pinion upon the crank-shaft of the engine, meshing with spur-gear FI, which form segments of circles, the center of the l 'circles being the center' of the crank-shaft.

Thus'shaft F2 may be raised or lowered in the slots Without disturbing the mesh of the gears n The driving-chains'y01 '(preferably one upon each side of the machine) pass around squared portions ofthe shaft Fz E', and other chains pass around the cutter-shaft C2 and sh aft E', which is mountedu'n bearings upon the carriers` or upon the posts, as under some circumstances I propose to adjust the shaft E toward or from the cutter-head C2, in order to tighten the drivingchain E, and chain-f1 can be tightened by raising shaft Fz in Yslots f by set-screws or otherwise. fj'z 1s a clutch-faced coupling sliding on shaft F2, but prevented from rotating thereon by means of a spline or feather, and

engaging with the clutch-faced hub f3 vof spur- 'gear F1.' f4 represents the end of a shiftinglever used to shift the coupling f2. G is a Wor1n,`secured to the crank-shaft by a key or set-screws, g2, and is adjustable longitudinally v uponV said shaft.

G' is a. worm-wheel, which takes into the under side ofthe worm Gi.' The shaft g of the worm-wheel* is mounted in bracket-arms or yokes glLsecured to the posts of the machine, and can be adjusted transversely of the machine, in order that the worm-wheel maybe kept in proper working relation to the worm G whenever said worm is moved upon the crank-shaft, fora inafter explained. l

Gr2 is a sprocket-wheel, keyed to the opposite end of shaft g. H is a chain, connecting sprocket-Wheel Gr2 with a sprocket-wheel, I, attached to the tubular nut-carrier, which I will now proceed to describe, especial refer.- ence being made to Figs. 6, 7, and 8.

The innerlportion of the nut-carrier consists of a cylindrical end, P, provided with a' tubupurpose which will be herelar bearing, Il, a smaller cylindrical part, I3,

and an intermediate conical portion, provided upon opposite sides with recesses or throats z'. (SeeFig. 8.) rIhe tubular bearing Il .i's supported on the frame or on a standard, I", rising from 7 the frame. il are wings or webs, extending from the cylindrical portion I2 to the part Isf tion shown in same gure. o o are set-screws passing through slots Z l into the nut-sections Q is a ring, seated in the groove Q', which is formed by two ribs, o', on the outside of the i front smaller end of the shell L. The ring Q is provided with projecting arms qtq, the arm q1 being pivoted to the frame, while arm q2 is connected with a hand-lever, or with a notched;

arm, q, projecting from the frame.

When preferred, a forked shifting-lever may be employed in place vof the ring and/arms, the inwardly-projecting spurs of the fork taking into the groove between the ribs o'.

It will be readily seen that when the parts of the nut-carrier are in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 7 the nut-sections are held firmly in contact with the screw; and that if the nut-carrier and nut be rotated by means of the chain H the carriers B B, the cutting' apparatus, and its operating mechanism will be fed forward into the coal or rock; and it will also be seen that if the shell L be shifted Vforward into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 the nut-section will be withdrawn from the screw.

' Should it be found desirable to tighten chain H, this can be done by moving the worm-wheel G* toward one end of the crank-shaft, when the worin G should also be moved.

The screw-shaft K is rigidly supported in standards k kl, rising from the cross-girts of the main frame, so that when the nut is griped upon this shaft, and is rotated by means of chain H, the cutting apparatus and engine are advancedupon the sills at the desired speed. B, Fig. 1, is a drum, mounted on a shaft, 1^,-

` and driven by a belt or chain from shaft F2.

One end of a rope or chain, r', may be attached to post or standard k1, or to a clevis or staple, k", Fig. 3, the other end of the rope being attached to shaft r or drum R, in order that by the revolution of this shaft the rope may be wound up and the engines and cutters Withdrawn from the coal, the nut being rst released from the screw, as has been explained; or, when preferred, a second screw `may be arranged to withdraw the cutting apparatus and engines, and operated by hand.

In order to remove from the drift such cuty tings as are not brought out by the driving- 'chains E, I employ scraper-chains T, each link of which is made of a thin flat bar or strip of metal bent into a U shape, as shown detached in Fig. l, the scraper-chain being mounted and driven as follows:

S is a shaft, supported in the carriers B B, and provided with spurred or sprocket wheels S', rotated by chains E E. The outer ends of shaft S have sprocket-wheels attached, or are squared, so as to drive the scraper-chains.

s s are boxes secured to eachcarrier, and carrying the shaft V, the ends of which have rollers V' V', or their equivalent, attached to them, to support the rear ends of the outer scraper-chains.

In Fig. 10, I have shown a construction of devices for operating the rear ends of these scraper-chains, which is in many respects preferable to that shown in Fig. l.

`-" Referring to Fig. l0, A represents the sill, and B a carrier. V is a short shaft, arranged between the carriers, having its ends journaled in one end of a strap or hanger, o, which is secured to and travels with the carrier B. The outer end of this strap or hanger v overhangs the sill A, and has a stud or spindle, '01, projecting therefrom, upon which a loose pulley, v2, or its equivalent, is mounted. There 1s one of these loose pulleys upon the outer side of each of the sills, and the rear portion of the scrapers pass over these pulleys, as will be readily understood.

Referring to Figs. Lland-5, a represents a dovetailed rib, formed upon or attached to the inner side of each of the carriers. eis a correspondingly-dovetailed bracket or boxing, tted to slide upon the rib a, and provided with a gib, el, and set-screw e2. e3 is` a lug projecting from au inner face of rib a. e* is a setserew, working in this lug, and bearing upon the dovetailed bracket or box e. By an examination of these figures (4 and 5) it will be seen that the shaft E' may be thrust from the cutter-shaft C2 by means of set-screws c, for the purpose' of tightening chain E, when desired.

In Fig.1, Wis abar or girt, attached to the sills, and extending over the driving-chains E. w is a bell-crank lever,pivoted upon this bar. w'y is a lockingdog, pivoted to the horizontal arm of lever fw, andworking through a slot in the bar W, directly in line with the upper leg of one of the driving-chains. Y

When I wish to withdraw the cutting apparatus from the coal, I thrust the locking-dog w' through the slot in the bar W, and into one l of the open links to the chain,thus connecting the chain rigidly with the bar, and through the bar to the sills A of the frame,when a continf ued revolution of the engine in the same direc# tion as is required for cutting the coal will retract the carriers and cutting apparatus, as will be readily understood upon an examlnation of the drawiugs,without further explanation.

In Fig. 9, which is a detached view of a slightlymodiiied construction of these devices, a bar, W, is arranged below the upper line of the driving-chain E, as under some circumstances this arrangement will be found preferable to that shown in Fig. l.

When the rope or chain r' and the drum B are employed for drawing the carriers and cutting apparatusv backward, the drum may be connected with its shaft r by means of a clutch or shifting-lever, so that the drum can be thrown out of action while the cutters are being advanced into the coal.

What I claim is- 1. In a mining-machine, the combination, with the carriers, of the driving-shaft E', adjustably supported between said carriers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the screw K, of a divided nut, O 0', its conical support, and the inclosing-shell L, substantially as set forth.

3. In a mining-machine, the combination, with the sills, the sliding carriers, and the driving-chain E, of devices for locking the chain to the sills, substantially as set forth.

4. In a mining-machine, Scrapers operated in vertical planes to remove the cuttings from the kerf or drift, substantially as set forth.

5. In a mining-machine, a worm adjustable upon the driving-shaft for actuating the feeding devices, substantially asset forth.

6. In a mining-machine, the shaft F2, made adjustable for tightening the driving-chain f1, substantially as set forth.

7. In a mining-machine, the overhanging scraper-chain supports, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as Iny own I afliX my signature in presence 0f two witnesses.

FRANCIS M. LECHNER.' 

